Greece. The cradle of modern civilization, an amalgamation of elements of Minoic, Phoenician, Doric and Ionic cultures that at one time spread from the Caucasus to the Pyrenees via Asia Minor, and from the Crimean to Sicily and the North-African coast. Plato, Xenophon, Homer, Socrates, Pythagoras, Archimedes still live on, in their works, thoughts and writings. Despite it’s glorious past, Romans, Byzantines, Visigoths, Slavs, Bulgarians, Venetians, Crusaders, Serbs, and finally Turks took it in their turn to occupy Greece for about 1,800 years!

The last Turkish garrison left Athens in March 1833, they managed to stay more or less independent for just over 100 years, when Hitler and Mussolini decided they’d go for a life-long supply of Ouzo (a greek drink) in April 1941. After a good 20 years of turbulent democracy, Greece was back in the hands of the extreme right when the colonels took over on April 21st, 1967, they were to remain in power ’till 1974.

A democratic and republican constitution was promulgated only on june 1975.

Military Junta Logo

The presence of the military junta during the late 60’s and early 70’s has been quite a deterrent, having prevented a musical development concurrent with that of other European countries. To complete the picture, the continued loss of civil rights, widespread censorship, political detentions and torture, caused countless confrontations and assassination attempts on both sides. In 1969, Costa-Gavras masterpiece Z, was the first attempt to internationalize the message of serious lack of civil rights and its situation. The film was banned from Greece, at the time.

The late 60’s were characterized by political oppression from the authorities and a strong folk movement (oriented by the political left) that sought its identification in the traditional Hellenic roots. A lot of male and female folk singers were known throughout Greece but the outside world remained virtually oblivious to them. Most of the bands that existed back then, however, played only cover versions of English-sung hits and their overall approach was orientated towards light pop and beat. They were called The Rabbits, The Stormies, The Teenagers, The Knacks, etc.

Z’s Poster

In the very beginning, the most well known bands, were from outside Greece: Aphrodite’s Child and Axis, achieved relative commercial success in France, singing in english, debuting albums, single charts and appearances on TV shows.

Domestically, over the 70’s, bands and artists like, Socarates Drank the Coniun, Nostradamus,Akritas, Iraklis, Dionysis Savvopoulos, Manos Hadjidakis, Kostas Tournas and Pavlos Sidiropoulos, were largely observed, censored or even arrested by the military junta. (!) This is some of the key figures in the national rock scene, ελληνικό ροκ(Greek Rock). Even the term psychedelic is derived from the Ancient Greek, words psuchē(ψυχή – psyche, mind) and dēlōsē(δήλωση – manifest):

Translating to mind-manifesting!

But today we’ll speak of a woman, their achievements and wonderful music.

Let’s go to her history:

Mariza Koch is one of the most renowned Greek singers of all time (together with Fleury Dandonakis). Endowed with a superb voice and a colorful timbre, she’s famous for served the Greek traditional music and been the first to introduce electricsound to folklore. Always working beside poets, such as Sappho, Kostas Varnalis and the greek poet of the seas Kavvadias; it’s lyrical depth is one of the aspects, which will always be remembered, her minstrel attitude, the freedom of speech and its political views over one of the heaviest cultural heritages from our history.

Young Mariza

Born March 14, 1944 in Athens by a Greek mother and a German father, member of the army occupation, he was executed by the Nazi forces the very year of her birth. Mariza and her sister Eirini grew up in her mother’s native Thera (Santorini).

From four to nine years old, she grew up in an institution, the widow mother had problems growing two kids and working alongside. This fact, develops a strong bond with her work on itself. Nowadays, she established an own record label (Verso Music) destined to folklore/traditional songs from all over Greece and more specifically, music for children. The experimental music center, Movement & Logos Mariza Kochdesigned for experimental music teaching only for children has it’s own choir, plays, books and cd releases; this is her flag today, an author and educator.

But let us return to our biography…

Hippy

The time lived in Santorini, founded the roots of its musical expression: the contact with Byzantine music and insular songs. At age 16, she returned to Athens to take music lessons. There, gained contact with the common wave, it’s performers, and debuts commercially in 1967. Two years later, shares a Lp with Nick Chouliaras, based on folk and traditional songs. The year 1970, in Greece, marks the very birth of greek bands singing in greek, Koch’s album ain’t the original first one, but it’s way more thick than other releases from the time, more distant from original folklore.

Based on several traditional regions of Greece, Arabas, saw a huge commercial success and led her to a large career on different record labels, through the decades.

Mariza: ‘When I started singing was in the era of dictatorship, the very beginning. I wanted to sing an uncensored version from numerous songs, but they all passed through censorship and I can not say exactly what they wanted. So I chose to sing traditional songs that I love very much and I had grown up with them. So the cry of protest is not like before, I took through the text, through the electric instruments and cover versions of songs that I did. It was my personal revolution.’

1976

Soon established as a premier folk singer in her country, instructed by Manos Hadjidakis, she took part in the Eurovision Song1976 contest, held in Hague, with the song Panagia Mou, Panagia Mou, written by herself, in protest by the Turkish occupation of Cyprus. The coup within the coup, led more than 5,000 dead and wounded on and off the isle. (!) The song ends up in 13th place, but its performance, transmitted live through Europe, unleashes her success worldwide.

From that point, she traveled around the globe singing in greatest theaters and recognized music festivals in Western Europe, Russia, Canada, USA, Latin America, Australia, India, Middle East and Africa as an ambassador of Greek traditional music. Dozens of albums were launched, and over time its aesthetic transformations changed the main proposal of its career: original folklore, from the past with traditional instruments formations (lyres, flutes and cretan lyras).

Let’s go to our record:

Today’s record is a bit different, this is for all those who do not resist an acoustic side with strong connections to the traditional folklore.You all will be pleased with a blessedvoice, a tuned backing band (bass, drums, guitar, keyboards) and all these beautiful songs and instruments from the Mediterranean!

Eurovision Performance

Mariza’s unique vocals became the center piece of the music, which on, more than one occasion needed no accompaniment. Indeed, it’s first solo forayArabas(Αραμπάς),released in 1971, wasa step forward on greek musical constellation, the first gold album (50.000) in its history! An almost rock album with traditional blends, heavy drums, swing guitar, light fuzz, breakbeats, led by a powerfulfemale voice, who was also a sharp musician and composer, something unusual for the time!

Mariza: ‘Nothing is difficult if it comes from your truth. The difficulties aren’t that will run, as long as it will go, how they establish what you have inside you. For me it was not difficult this blend, these traditional covers. This sound like to give and i’m fortunate that he loved and fell in a good time, when the audience of my generation understood what was needed. It was a model that was presented as a personal need.’

Live Extasis

The ‘IM’ highlights are: Arabas (Αραμπάς), a mysterious lute introduction unravels a psych melody with hard percussion pace, eerie organs and sweet rhythm guitar, like many others of the album, none of its songs overlaps 4 minutes! And: Smyrna Dance(Σμυρνέϊκος Χορός), a instrumental one, apropos, the unique in that feel on all record, by the way, Smyrna is an ancient city located on the coast of Anatolia, showing us how Greek and Turkish culture can merge, despite the old cultural brawl.

On the back cover, Mariza writes: ‘I started with the desire to keep up with the evolution of our time carrying through my experiences, which are directly associated with the traditional song. So I began an effort to contemporary expression of traditional song, encouraged by the fact that it always transformed into the tradition.’

Here’s a TV appearance, from 1973, where she sings in a psychedelic scenario, and on its final seconds, her brilliant hippy political view.

CC

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The music posted here is not posted with the intent to profit or to violate copyright.
If you are the creator (or copyright owner) of a song, or anything else posted on this blog and object to anything presented here, please contact us and it will be promptly removed.

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Bhagavata Purana (9th / 10th Century)

"While Dhruva Maharaja was passing through space, he saw, in succession, all the planets of the solar system, and on the path he saw all the demigods in their vimanas showering flowers upon him like rain...
He traveled in that way through the various planets, as the air passes freely in every direction. Coursing through the air in that grand and splendid vimana, which could fly at will, he surpassed even the Devas."